> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.berachain.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Dedicated Emission Stream (DES)

> Governance-guaranteed WBERA emission for strategically important vaults.

## Why DES exists

Validator reward allocation is market-driven: validators route WBERA emissions toward vaults that offer the best incentive return. This works well for established vaults but can under-serve strategically important liquidity that the network needs regardless of short-term incentive rates.

DES lets governance guarantee a minimum emission flow to specific vaults without relying on individual validator decisions. Use cases include:

* **Bootstrapping new vaults** — seeding emission before incentive markets develop.
* **Sustaining protocol-critical liquidity** — ensuring core trading pairs or lending markets receive steady emission even when competing incentives shift.
* **Targeted growth programs** — time-limited emission to vaults aligned with ecosystem priorities, with per-vault caps that automatically sunset the stream.

## How DES works

Before each block's validator-specific allocation is applied, the Distributor carves out a governance-configured percentage of the WBERA Reward Vault emission and allocates it to DES-selected vaults.

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/berachain-422fce37/S-9FRTSbN3tiDQMl/images/proof-of-liquidity/pol-des.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=S-9FRTSbN3tiDQMl&q=85&s=2602a81eaf92885df45f55fbaa320a08" alt="DES routing — DES carve-out, per-vault cap, and excess return to validator allocation" width="1024" height="1536" data-path="images/proof-of-liquidity/pol-des.png" />

*How the WBERA reward-rate splits between DES vaults and the validator-allocation path. When a DES vault hits its `targetEmission` cap, the excess returns to the remainder pool for validator allocation.*

When DES is active, each block:

1. The Distributor computes `emissionPerc` of the Reward Vault emission as the DES share.
2. The DES share is split across configured vaults according to their weight (must sum to 100%).
3. Each vault tracks cumulative DES emission (`debt`). Once a vault's debt reaches its `targetEmission` cap, it stops receiving DES — excess flows back to the validator allocation path.
4. The remainder (plus any returned excess) enters normal BeraChef validator allocation.

## Governance parameters

`DedicatedEmissionStreamManager` is controlled by two roles:

| Role                              | Controls                                                       |
| --------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `DEFAULT_ADMIN_ROLE` (governance) | Distributor address, BeraChef reference, upgrades, role grants |
| `ALLOCATION_MANAGER_ROLE`         | `emissionPerc`, vault weights, per-vault target caps           |

### Parameters

* **`emissionPerc`** — carve-out percentage in basis points (0–10,000). A value of 500 means 5% of the Reward Vault emission goes to DES before validator allocation.
* **Reward allocation weights** — a `Weight[]` array specifying whitelisted vaults and their share of the DES carve-out. All receivers must be BeraChef-whitelisted. Weights must sum to 10,000 (100%). Updating this replaces the entire allocation atomically.
* **`targetEmission[vault]`** — per-vault cumulative emission cap. Once reached, the vault's DES stream stops. Raising the target restarts the stream.

DES emissions are denominated in \$WBERA (inherited from the Distributor's emission token).

## Impact on validators

The DES carve-out reduces the emission available for validator-directed allocation. If `emissionPerc` is 5%, validators control 95% of the Reward Vault emission per block. The base reward (0.4 WBERA to the validator operator) is unaffected.

Validators can read the current DES parameters from the [`DedicatedEmissionStreamManager`](/build/getting-started/deployed-contracts) contract on-chain.

## See also

* [Block rewards](/general/proof-of-liquidity/block-rewards) — how base rate and reward rate are sized.
* [PoL Governance](/general/governance/reward-vault-governance) — DES controls as a governance surface.